(Motorsport-Total.com) – Pierre Gasly was very well aware that he would lose his third place at the Monaco Grand Prix immediately after crossing the finish line. Nevertheless, he celebrated on the cool-down lap – a reaction born of frustration, sarcasm, and disappointment over the penalty-induced loss of the podium spot.
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“I don’t think anything could hurt me more right now,” Gasly said after the race, clearly venting his anger: “For ten years I’ve been working my ass off for moments exactly like this. Today we did everything right to stand on that podium in front of all the fans.”
Gasly was penalized in the race for two infringements of the pit lane speed limit of 60 km/h. He was measured minimally too fast each time, once by 0.1 km/h and once by 0.4 km/h. The penalties caused him to drop from a podium spot to seventh place in the final classification.
Gasly was aware of the penalties
Despite this situation, Gasly showed a spontaneous celebratory reaction immediately after crossing the finish line, repeatedly exclaiming something to the effect of “damn, P3”.
This exact moment subsequently led to discussions, as it was initially unclear whether the Alpine driver had been informed about the penalty at all. However, Gasly clarifies that he was aware of the situation already during the race.
“I knew the situation when we stopped due to the red flag, and I simply tried to push as hard as possible to achieve the best possible result – knowing that the penalty would be applied,” he explains.
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Alpine hopes for late justice
Gasly describes his reaction at the finish line as an emotional outburst to process what he felt was a great injustice. Because of it, despite a strong performance, he lost the prospect of a podium in Monaco, which he calls a “lifelong dream.”
“This is the kind of moment that, in my opinion, should not be taken away from us for unfair reasons. What is happening right now is not right, and hopefully, they will make the right decision,” said Gasly. Shortly after the race, Alpine requested a review of the case (“Right of Review”) from the FIA.
The team aims to prove that Gasly’s car did not exceed the permitted speed of 60 km/h at any point from the pit lane entry.
A possible cause for the nevertheless measured infringement is considered to be the entry angle into the pit lane, which could have altered the distance between the measuring points used to calculate the speed.
“I know that I was below the speed limit in the pit lane and activated the limiter well before the line,” Gasly emphasizes. “We also have a safety buffer to prevent something like this from happening. I hope they review this correctly and give us back the result we deserve as a team.”
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